Riveting Rosie equalled Flamboro Downs's track record for aged trotting mares with a 1:56.1 triumph in the $11,000 Preferred 2 Trot on Sunday night while Adkins Hanover gave trainer Joe Pereira his 1,000th career win in the co-featured Preferred 2 Handicap Pace.
In the trotting feature, longshot Were Rolling (J.R. Plante) left sharply from the outside and raced around the first turn with a two-length lead, but insider Spartan Victory (Ryan Holliday) looped the early leader by the opening quarter in :27.3.
After getting away fifth from the trailing tier, Riveting Rosie (Paul MacDonell) began to advance first over in the second panel and rushed up to confront the leader as they raced past the half in :57.4.
Riveting Rosie pursued Spartan Victory around the turn and edged ahead down the backstretch, clearing just past the 1:26.1 third quarter mark. The 3-5 favourite then began to trot away from the field heading for home and won by six lengths. Spartan Victory held off Strong Hope (James MacDonald) for the runner-up honours.
Riveting Rosie tied the aged trotting mare record that was held by Indys Kylee, Winkys Pride and Can I Say (a sixth-place finisher tonight).
The two-time O'Brien Award winning mare's only other start at Flamboro was also a track record tying effort -- 1:57 for three-year-old trotting fillies -- in a Gold leg of the Ontario Sires Stakes last year.
The four-year-old daughter of Muscle Mass is owned by trainer John Bax's Parkhill Stud Farm, Don Allensen, J And T Stable and John Hayes. Riveting Rosie has now won three of her 14 races this year and has 14 career wins with earnings of $956,583.
In the pacing division, Adkins Hanover cruised wire-to-wire in 1:52.3 with J.R. Plante aboard for Pereira's milestone win.
Firing from the outside post six, Adkins Hanover took the lead immediately off the wings of the gate and carved out fractions of :26.3, :53.4 and 1:22 with the rest of the field unable to keep up. Boomboom Ballykeel (Alfie Carroll) came on for second and favourite Savage Seelster (Robert Shepherd) finished third.
The 3-1 fourth choice in the wagering, Adkins Hanover paid $7.80 to win.
The six-year-old son of Western Ideal earned his second consecutive win racing from the Pereira stable. He is owned by William Gillan and Colin Densley Burrows.
Plante also drove trainer Larry Ainsworth and Bill Boden's sophomore pacer Newbie wire-to-wire from the outside post eight in the $7,500 Preferred 3, winning in 1:54.2. The Always A Virgin gelding pulled off a mild 7-1 upset over even-money favourite Blue Chip Sunshine (Bob McClure), with Andreios Kardia (Steve Byron) finishing third after challenging first over.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Flamboro Downs.